Planning commission recommends general-plan amendment and rezone for property at 741 W. 3700 S.

The Syracuse Planning Commission on Nov. 4, 2025 recommended that the City Council amend the general plan and rezone a property at approximately 741 West 3700 South from commercial to low-density residential.

Noah, staff member, told the commission the application relates to two parcels (referenced in staff materials as 0190 and 0189) and is located at the intersection of Gentile and Bluff Road. "There is a parcel that has two homes on it," Noah said, and staff described an additional remnant parcel and a separately owned parcel outside current city boundaries that is not part of this application. Staff explained the existing zone is A-1 and the applicant sought zoning consistent with the proposed general-plan designation.

The commission discussed lot-size and lot-width constraints that affect the applicant's options. Staff said the R-2 zone has a 10,000-square-foot minimum lot size and an 85-foot lot width; the A-1 zone requires a minimum half-acre lot. Commissioners noted that adding adjacent county parcels through annexation would enlarge lots and could allow an R-1 designation, but they also cautioned annexation is a separate, sometimes complex process. "There is a process to change the city boundary," Noah said; commissioners said an annexation petition has been discussed with the landowner but that the commission normally does not initiate annexation.

Commissioner Anderson moved that the commission recommend the City Council amend the general plan for the property at approximately 741 West 3700 South, encompassing about 0.668 acres, from commercial to low-density residential; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Later in the meeting, the commission voted to recommend the rezone of the same property (described in staff materials as about 0.66 acres) from A-1 to R-1; that motion also passed by voice vote.

The commission and staff emphasized that the action taken on Nov. 4 was a recommendation to the City Council; final approval of the general-plan amendment and rezone will be determined by the City Council. Staff and commissioners noted a future subdivision application would be required if the owner proceeds to split parcels for separate ownership. The applicant named in the staff report is Mabel Murray Ross; the commission's recommendation forwards the application and the record to the City Council for formal action.

Clarifying details from the public record: staff identified the subject parcels as 0190 and 0189, described two existing dwellings on a single parcel, and quantified the requested general-plan change area at approximately 0.66 68 acres. Staff cited A-1 minimum lot size of one-half acre, R-2 minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet and an R-1 typical lot width requirement of 100 feet that influenced the discussion. No vote-by-name was recorded on the record; outcomes were recorded by voice vote as "Aye" and the chair announced the motions passed.

The commission also discussed a separate, broader option of recommending a larger general-plan amendment for the neighboring south-side area; commissioners asked the city council liaison to raise that possibility with council members. That prospective study and any annexation would require a separate public-notice process and additional hearings.